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who may have acquired the disease due to occupational exposure and that
may have to be registered with such.
This was not the only request received. We have already been notified
by the European community that a Swiss tourist had been in our country
and by returning to his country was diagnosed in a hospitalization as having
Legionellosis.
In face of the ever-increasing international traffic flow it is urgent to pay
attention to possible contamination sources in order to avoid that it becomes a
commonplace to receive international notifications of diseases acquired while
in transit in our country.
Our climate condition is extremely favorable for the growth of
Legionella
,
for it is known that its proliferation is optimal at a temperature range between
25º and 40º C.
International reports have referred Legionellosis outbreaks in cooling
towers, decorative fountains, whirlpool baths and spas, showers, wash basins,
saunas, irrigation sprinkler systems, car wash units and even in dental practice
offices. One of the concerns in our field is the solar heating systems, for the
temperature of the reservoirs is perfect for the proliferation of
Legionella
.
Another worrying subject is the water delivery through water trucks because
they are metal vessels that when exposed to the sun, they keep the water
temperature at favorable levels to the proliferation and the water is non-
chlorinated. Water tanks usually are uncovered, favoring the contamination of
the reservoir, starting from the contamination of the environment where the
bacteria are common.
The quite common use of alternative sources of water (wells) provides for
the population non-treated water that can be easily contaminated by bacteria
